Food out of thin air!

Where does food come from?

All food comes from plants. They use photosynthesis to convert CO2 from the air to complex carbon molecules which store energy. These can be carbohydrates such as simple sugars or more complex starches or they can be oils. They also make protein by incorporating nitrogen into specialized carbon molecules called amino acids. Plant oils are unsaturated or monosaturated and these have been shown to be generally healthy.

So, plants literally create food out of thin air!

Plants and Animals

Animals such as cows, pigs and chickens eat plants and convert the carbohydrates and oils into fuel and also store excess energy as saturated fats. Animals build muscle with protein. When humans eat animals (and animal products such as milk, cheese and eggs they ingest this protein and the saturated fat. Unfortunately, the saturated fats (triglycerides and cholesterol) in meat have been shown by many studies to be unhealthy. Dietary consumption of saturated fats from animals leads to cardiovascular disease (hypertension, heart attacks and strokes) among other problems.

Fish, on the other hand, covert the plant carbohydrates and oils into healthy oils (omega-3) as well as concentrating protein. Fish oils have been demonstrated in many studies to improve heart and brain function.

Protein

What about protein? Protein is made up of amino acids which are small carbon molecules which all have a nitrogen atom (amine group). There are 21 amino acids and the body puts these together in different ways to make muscle and also enzymes which facilitate chemical reactions and make everything work. When you eat more protein than you need, the excess is broken down. The carbon bonds release energy and the nitrogen is made into urea which is filtered out by your kidneys.

How much protein to you need? Unless you are a growing child or a pregnant or lactating woman, you need about 40 to 50 grams (1.5 ounces) or protein each day. Any more than this is just broken down in your body. You can get this amount of protein by eating about 10% of your calories from protein. Since most foods (even “low protein” plants) contain about 10% protein, it is really hard to not get enough protein in your diet. (Most junk food such as sugared drinks and chips contain little protein.)

What should I eat?

So, you have a choice. You can eat plants directly which give you healthy oils, complex carbohydrates and protein. You can also eat fish which concentrates the protein and gives you healthy oils. You really shouldn't eat meat from animals since they contain unhealthy fats.

There are lots of other “micronutrients” such as vitamins and minerals which are essential for good health. These are available in plants, fish and animals in various amounts. I won't spend time on these now but suffice to say that you can get a full complement of these from a vegan, vegetarian or fish diet.